Arts & Music

My Bloody Valentine — m b vImagine if Radiohead had released OK Computer and then waited 22 years to put out a follow-up album. That's what happened to fans of shoegaze pioneers My Bloody Valentine, whose 1991 album Loveless became the model for how bands should sound dense, droning, and depressed. When My Bloody Valentine decided to self-release its new album m b v on its website over the weekend, it gave music nerds an exciting alternative to the Super Bowl.

Listen to one of my favorite tracks off m b v, "New You:"

Thao & The Get Down Stay Down — We The CommonNeed a pick-me-up? The third album from local indie-folk songwriter Thao Nguyen is as potent as black coffee. Read our full review in Wednesday's issue, and stream it (while you can) on NPR First Listen.

Wayne Shorter — Without A NetAt eighty years old, saxophonist Wayne Shorter is "jazz's greatest living composer," according to the New York Times. His new album Without a Net is composed of live recordings played with his acoustic quartet. It's also streaming for a limited time it on NPR.